Barrel piano

Made:
Manchester
Barrel piano associated with Simon Robino

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Barrel piano associated with Simon Robino
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Barrel piano made about 1910-1923. The maker is unknown, but the names Pasquale and Co., London and Simon Robino, Manchester appear on the piano.

Barrel pianos like this would have been a familiar site in and around Ancoats, just east of Manchester’s city centre, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The area became known as 'Ancoats Little Italy' because of the number of Italian immigrants who made it their home. It was famous for its entertainers and street musicians.

Barrel pianos were often set on a cart and played by street musicians, sometimes known as organ grinders, who earned money through the musical entertainment they provided. Organ grinders could hire their barrel piano from local manufacturers, rather than having to invest in their own.

Barrel pianos are also known as 'self-acting' or 'automatic' pianos, because inside the piano is a barrel, onto which the music to be played is encoded using pins. The musician turns a hand crank to spin the barrel. As the barrel rotates, its pins operate a combination of hammers, which strike strings to sound different notes and produce a tune. The musician can control the speed at which the tune is played by turning the handle slower or faster. They can also select the tune to be played, with one barrel able to hold the information for several different songs.

The maker of this piano has not been confirmed. A painted label inside it indicates some association with Simon Robino of Ancoats, Manchester, whilst a label on the front of the piano associates it with Pasquale and Co. of London. A stamped serial number inside the piano also suggests an association with Pasquale. However, the outline of another label is visible on the front of the piano, which appears to have been removed at some stage. Some evidence points to Robino being refurbishers rather than manufacturers of barrel pianos. When barrel pianos were repaired, the craftsperson undertaking the repair would sometimes add their own name to the piano, and it is likely that Robino, and perhaps also Pasquale, if they were not the original makers, did so on this example.

Details

Category:
Local History
Object Number:
Y1993.61
Measurements:
Overall: 1360 mm x 560 mm x 960 mm, 134 kg
type:
barrel piano